We’ve lost our humanity, says 1956 anti-pass march leader
SASOLBURG: “We’ve lost our ubuntu.”
This was the concern raised by Sophie Williams-De Bruyn – the only survivor of the leaders of the 1956 women’s anti-pass march to the Union Buildings.
De Bruyn was part of a group of four women, including Lillian Ngoyi, who were selected by a broad representation of women to hand over their memorandum to the then-prime minister JG Strijdom. Born in 1938, De Bruyn spoke about the relentless dedication of these women 59 years ago.
She said at the time, their object was not to fight against pass laws only, but participate in the Struggle to remove an “unjust regime”. “Today our efforts bear testimony that our historical hallmarks are not inadvertently expunged from the historical landscape.
“Our march was a show that women, too, were not going to be pushed around by an unjust regime.
“It was absolutely necessary that all of us participated to decide our future,” she said.
De Bruyn was quick to acknowledge that other women, such as Charlotte Maxeke, also took part in the same antipass laws protests.
The veteran also said the government had an impressive record of addressing women’s issues, but warned that more still needed to be done. She lamented the breakdown of relations between elders and their children.
“We no longer speak to our elders with respect. We no longer treat each other with dignity and pride. Let us draw lessons from our past in shaping our future. No one else can fix it but ourselves.”
Respect was critical for social justice, cohesion and nation-building, she said.